I am continuing to prepare for the first few weeks of school. That always means teaching good hand washing procedures. We teach it and reteach it and teach it again!

I always read the book Those Mean Nasty Downright Disgusting But Invisible Germs by Judith Rice! It is the BEST book for teaching about hand washing. It become a classroom favorite immediately!

We follow up the story by teaching the kids the Hand Washing Poem and with a "hands on" activity page. The activity page has the hand washing steps listed on it so children can talk about the steps at home. I have the children trace their hands and draw "germs" on their hands. Then I invite them to glue the "Throw-up" germ on their hand! Be prepared to hear LOTS of sickness stories! Young children love to share about the time when they "puked!"